Little Blue Beads of Faithfulness

Last year, on a trip to Pittsburgh, I saw a necklace that I just adored. It had blue beads and a silver pendant on which was etched a tree. If you know me, you know that the tree is one of my favorite symbols of God’s faithfulness, as in Jeremiah 17:7-8.

The necklace was in a box with matching earrings. The sale sign said it was a “special purchase”, and, for less than $10, I bought it. I’d been searching for just the right color of blue beads, and here they were!

When I got home, I was disappointed to find that the necklace itself was really more of a choker and was too short for my comfort. Determined to find a way to wear it anyway, I took it apart. The pendant became a slide that fit perfectly on a wire I already owned. The beautiful blue beads went into my crafting box to be used at a later time.

This week, my husband and I were packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. I chose to pack for a teenage girl, and thought that she would enjoy making her own jewelry, so I went to my crafting box in search of beads to add to the ones I’d purchased. There were my special blue beads. I resisted.

Surely God would not want me to give away those beads. The others I had were replaceable; I could simply go purchase more if I wanted. Those were no longer available, and besides, there weren’t enough to fill the little compartment in the bead box. But God reminded me that I was to give sacrificially. It wasn’t a huge monetary sacrifice, but it was something I was unwilling to part with. God won. The beads went into the girl’s box.

Last night, we took our boxes to the church for collection. Then we went to service.

The worship service was awesome and heart-provoking. We learned about letting go of fear and of God’s faithfulness. We sang of God’s blessing and of His faithfulness.

After service, a friend rushed to find me. She said, “I have something for you.” Daphne reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace and earrings. She said God spoke to her in service and told her to give them to me, and so she took them off then. She said it was unusual for her to wear that particular necklace, but had felt prompted to that night. Once she was in service, she knew why.

I looked at the offering to me and was dumbstruck. Friends, it was the twin of the necklace I had purchased the year before in a town eight hours away; the very same pendant, the same perfect blue beads that sat in a shoebox a few yards away. The very beads I had been asked to give up were now returned to me! How is that possible?

Is your mouth not just hanging open? Tell me He doesn’t perform little miracles to let us know He is here and He is involved and He wants us to know that He is faithful. Try to tell me He isn’t real! I have evidence in the obedient actions of a faithful friend and in the undeniable form of beautiful blue beads and a silver tree pendant.

Thanks and glory be to God!